Are Clogged Drains Causing Unexplained Odors In a Home?

Methane is a byproduct of organic waste deterioration. All organic material will decompose, and when it does, it produces methane.

A story was recently shared with us about new homeowners who were also new parents.

Sometime after the family had moved in, the mom began to comment to her husband about a smell she couldn't locate. The odor seemed to come and go and would relocate around the house. One day she smelled it in her nursery; another day in the kitchen; another day, it seemed to come from the bathroom. Every time she smelled the odor, it was getting a little worse. She couldn't pinpoint what was causing it.

One day, the odor was strong while she was in the baby's nursery. She at first thought the smell was caused by a dying rodent of some kind, like a mouse or rat, so she looked and looked in the room, checking in and under, behind, and above everything, but couldn't find a problem. The odor was more than just a dirty diaper; it smelled like something was dying and decomposing in the home.

That's when the husband stepped in and tried to find the problem, but he also failed to figure it out. The family suffered from time to time with the bad smells and was embarrassed when friends or family came over. That is until one day, a close friend told them what they thought the problem was.

The friend was correct; the rotten smells came from the home's sewer system. It was a clogged drain pipe in their wastewater, with food and other matter rotting.

Food, organic matter, hair, and other substances can create odors in a sewer system. Even though most homes have proper plumbing ventilation to route sewer odors outside, a clogged drain will often cause terrible smells to back up the pipes and into a home.

Methane is a byproduct of organic waste deterioration. All organic material will decompose, and when it does, it produces methane. Sewer gas is a mixture of gasses produced by decomposing organic or industrial wastes.

As mentioned, the gas may include methane but can also consist of hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides -all very toxic.

This odor is nature's way of saying a problem needs to be resolved, or it can become harmful to our health. Breathing in toxic air can make a person very sick and, in worse cases, can cause death.

If a home has an unexplainable odor, it's probably coming from the plumbing. Call a local plumber to locate the clog and clear it out quickly. Don't wait until the air in a home becomes toxic.

MNS Plumbing provides prompt, efficient, and reliable drain cleaning, repiping, drain inspection, and video sewer line inspection services. Call 602-362-4524 to learn more.